Service container



J. 28, 1936. E, cHRlsTENSI-:N

` SERVICE CONTAINER Filed Deo. 2o, 1935 fnvsn/ar .(5. Chris/s175517 Patented Jan. 28, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Emil Christensen, Canterbury, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Application December 20, 1933, Serial No. 703,297 In Australia August l5, 1933 1 Claim.

At theatres, concerts, sports meetings and other such places where large numbers of persons congregate it is customary for attendants serving refreshments, confections, ice cream and the like to carry supplies thereof upon trays which are supported by straps passing around the attendants shoulders. As the trays are devoid of any provision for maintaining the supplies at a desirably low temperature it is frequently found that the ice cream, for instance, has lost much of its desirable coldness and firmness before it is served.

Other disadvantages are that the carrying capacity of the trays is comparatively limited, that the supplies are exposed to dust and other harmful influences, and that it is generally impossible, owing to the unwieldiness of bulkiness of the trays, for attendants to pass conveniently between rows of persons.

The present invention aims to provide a device which overcomes the above and other difficulties associated with supplying theatre audiences and other congregations with ice cream, confections or refreshments.

A device according to the invention makes adequate provision for maintaining ice cream or other articles of refreshment at a desirably low temperature for a relatively long period. The improved device may also be of comparatively large capacity and yet at the same time is compact and of small compass so that an attendant carrying the device may readily pass between closely spaced rows or lines of persons without objectionable inconvenience,

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will, however, be more readily appreciated from the following description and accompanyingV drawing relating to a practical embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a device according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a cross section of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a view looking on the left hand end of Figure 1.

Figure 5 illustrates the device in use.

A device according to the invention includes outer casing 2 which may be suspended by straps 3 passing around the shoulders of a person so that the device extends horizontally and about waist high at the front of the person as in Figure 5. The casing is preferably elongated longitudinally and may advantageously be of cylindrical form.

According to the drawing, the casing comprises inner and outer sheet metal shells 2a, 2b and end closures, comprising outer sheet metal discs 4, 4a, and inner members 5, 5a of wood, compressed bre or other suitable material. The annular space between the inner and outer shell may be packed with heat suitable insulation material 6 such as ground cork.

Extending lengthwise and centrally within the outer casing, preferably from end to end thereof, is an inner casing l providing a chamber 8 for accommodating a suitable refrigerant or cooling agent 8a. Dry ice (compressed carbon dioxide, CO2) is preferably utilized as the refrigerant on acc-cunt of its exceptionally low temperature.

A substantially annular storage space for the articles to be dispensed exists between the inner and outer casings and this space is preferably occupied by a series of containers 9 forming separate compartments I0 which extend longitudinally.

Provision is made for rotating the containers so that any one may in turn be brought into registry with an access opening I I formed in the outer casing and extending longitudinally in the upper part thereof, whereby any article in any container may be readily withdrawn when required.

Various internal constructions may be adopted. For example, the inner casing may consist of a sheet metal cylinder provided with outstanding fins forming the sides of the containers 9, but according to the construction illustrated, the inner casing and the fins are built up from a series of sheet metal strips of trough shape cross section, the sides i2 of each strip being welded, riveted or otherwise secured to the sides of adjacent strips. The bottom or intermediate portions of the strips constitute the inner casing 1, and the bottoms of the containers. In such constructional form, the inner casing may be of hexagonal, or other polygonal shape in cross section. Discs I3, I3a may be secured to the ends of the inner casing and the sides I2.

In both of the foregoing constructional forms the inner casing and the containers constitute a unit, and this unit is rotatably mounted within the outer casing. For this purpose, the inner casing may be provided at one end with a ring portion I4 accommodated by a bearing ring I5 fitted in the respective end closure of the outer casing. The resulting opening I6, which is utilized for charging the inner casing with the refrigerant, may be normally closed by a rubber or like faced cap Il having associated clamping means such as screws I8 and wing nuts I9.

The inner casing may be permanently closed at its other end by the disc I3a which may have a collar 2G rotatable within a bearing ring 2l fitted in end'closure''. A Vspindle 22 may project from disc Yi 3a through end closure 5 and be providedV witla handle 23 for turning the casing and container Iunit. f

The access opening I l in the upper part of the outer casing may be provided with a hinged door 24 normaljiy held in closed position by a catch device such as a bail 25 adapted to be spring projeted from the door into a cavity 26 in gne of the edges of the opening Il. This opening may dened by a woloden or suitable Vframe '21 Vfittel into the space between the double walls of outer casing. Y Y;

Straps may be Ysecured as at 28 to the end closure of the outer casing andl pass through guides 29 so that Vthe device may be conveniently supportedat the front of an attendant, the turning handle 23 being preferably located at the right hand end of thecdevice for ,convenience of operation. Y Y i f Y nThe individual containers or compartments may be readily loaded by'way of access opening I l with supplies of the articles to be dispensed,

and yany desiredY container may be speedily brought into registry with the access opening to the exclusion oflthe other containers in order to permit of deliveries being made.

"Battens 30 may be applied to the lower part of the outer casing toenable the device to rest With Vstability upon a at surface.Y

i' It willcbe evident from Vthe foregoing that the inventionV provides an eiicient and convenient device for the purposes indicated. The devices may beeonstructed to hold comparatively largeV quantities of supplies and yet on account of their icompact'ness permit attendants carryingL the delvices to pass with comparative ease and convenience between seated or standing rows of perfsons. i Having Vnow described my inventionwhat I claim as;Y new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- Y A service container comprising a cylindrical casing of double wall type, insulating material between the walls, end walls for the casing, a chamber mounted axially of the casing, means for rotatably supportingjthe chai-fiber in each end Wall of the casing, means carried by one end wall of the casing to permit Yaccess to the chamber to utilize the chamber asY a rerigerant receptacle, means connected with the chamber VandY extending through the opposite end Wall thereof for rotating the cli-amber, and a series ofrwalls radiating from the chamber into substantial contact with the casingfandV substantially coextensive in length walls ci the casing, whereby to provide merchandise receptacles surrounding the chamber and open toward the casing, the casing being formed with an opening extending longitudinally there; of for substantially the full length of a merchar; dise receptacle, whereby access is had toiall the articles in a merchandise receptacle in registry with said openingV in the casing. i? Y E, CHRIsTNsEN.

f'th the distance' between the end 

